The Day That Changed District 12
by ReneeSue
Summary: AU Takes place in the Panem we know but The Hunger Games don't exist. Katniss is saved by the boy who saved her life so many years before, in a tragedy that shakes all of Panem but shakes her heart the most. R&R!


A/N: Hey guys this is my first Hunger Games Fanfic. As usual I don't own the hunger games and Itried my best to be as original as I could when it comes to Hunger Games Fanfics. Let me know what you think and if I should continue. Thanks! If I don't get enough reviews I won't continue because if there aren't enough reviews then it means my story sucks and I shouldn't embarrass myself anymore. Love ya guys!

**Peeta Mellark**

_It's Monday again. _I groaned loudly as I forced myself out of the cold bed. I glanced around my room for a quick moment before walking over to my closet and pulling out a button up shirt and some jeans to wear. _Today I will do it. I will talk to her today. _

I walked into the bathroom across the hall and stared at myself in the mirror for a few minutes before there was a pounding on door.

"Peeta! Hurry up! I have to pee!" Rye's voice said from the other side of the locked door. I brushed my teeth really quickly and shaved the facial hair that had grown on my face over the past two days. I opened the bathroom door and walked out quickly, Rye gave me a look and rushed into the bathroom. I walked back into my room and grabbed my backpack off my small brown desk. I walked down the stairs waved goodbye to my father before walking out the door of the bakery and walking to school.

When I walked into the school yard where I had first saw Katniss when I was five, I got nervous like I do every day. I watched as she walked into the school yard with Prim and glanced around the yard quickly, only pausing for a moment when she met my eyes. I started to take a step towards her but the bell rang indicating it was time to go inside and go to our first class. I sighed and walked inside to my locker. After pulling the books I needed from my locker I walked to my class thinking I had lost my chance.

My classes flew by as I thought about Katniss, not really paying attention, trying to convince myself that I could still find a way to talk to her. Lunch came quicker than usual since I wasn't paying attention in the class that usually passed very slowly. I walked to the cafeteria with my sack lunch in my hand. I looked around the cafeteria and noticed Katniss with some water and what looked like some bread I had made last night, she must have traded Dad a squirrel this morning. I wanted to walk over there and talk to her but I couldn't get up my courage so I went to sit with my group of friends. Delly Cartwright smiled at me as I sat down next to her.

"Still trying to talk to her?" She asked, grinning as if she knew where my thoughts had been all day.

"Yeah," I said, sighing.

"Just go over there," She said, giving me a push. I gave her a knowing look which caused her to burst into laughter.

I watched Katniss for the remainder of lunch, while eating the sandwich I had packed for lunch. I didn't manage to get my courage up to talk to Katniss until after lunch, halfway through the history class I had with her. Unfortunately I had to wait until the class was over before I could talk to her. When the bell finally rang and everyone scrambled to get out of the room as fast as they could a boy I recognized from the seam bumped into Katniss hard, causing her to drop her books and binders onto the ground. I picked them up for her before she could bend over to pick them up herself. I looked up at her as I stood back up.

"It's Katniss right?" I asked, knowing full well that was her name. She nodded, flushed from being bumped into, which had caused her to fall into the wall next to the door. Katniss nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Yeah. You're Peeta. Everyone knows who you are." She said, reaching for her books. I handed her things back to her reluctantly.

"What do you have next?" I asked, hoping she didn't think I was weird for already asking what her schedule was when this was the first time we had ever talked.

"I have a free period." She said, walking through the door and into the hallway. I walked next to her, keeping up with her fast pace.

"Me too, I'm always really bored during my free periods do you mind if I stick around you and talk?" I asked, surprised at myself for being so bold so quickly.

"I – uh…" Katniss stuttered, looking unsure. "I guess you can." I smiled at her before opening my locker which was a few down from hers, and put up my books, but pulling out a spiral to doodle in. The bell rang and I looked up surprised, it had already been five minutes? I looked down the hall and found it empty except for me and Katniss. I had just shut my locker a few minutes later and was turning towards Katniss when I heard a loud gunshot. Katniss's head turned towards the sound which was coming from a room on our hall. I looked around frantically as there were several more gunshots and screaming. I was hoping there would be a janitor's closet for us to hide in but the only thing I could see was lockers along the hall.

"Peeta," Katniss whispered frantically, I looked up and saw the classroom door opening. I swallowed nervously, looking over at Katniss. She looked worried, unsure what to do. I was about to tell her to run when I noticed the boy who had bumped into Katniss not ten minutes ago was the one walking out of the classroom, caring a gun. The boy looked at Katniss, quickly pulled up his gun and pointed at her. No! I jumped in front of her as he pulled the trigger. I heard myself scream loudly as a horrible pain erupted in my stomach and I fell to the ground. I heard Katniss scream too and I felt her next to me, holding my hand. The boy seemed to have moved on to the next classroom and I heard more shots and more screaming.

"Peeta look at me," Katniss was saying but I felt separate from my body. I felt my head turn and saw Katniss looking at me, teary eyed.

"I'm fine," I whispered, smiling slightly. The world began to go black and I knew no more.

"He saved you?"

"Yeah, he jumped in front of me."

I opened my eyes slowly, trying to place the voices I was hearing. I opened my eyes and found myself on a cot in a house I had never been in. I could see Katniss, her back facing me.

"Katniss?" I croaked quietly.

She turned around so fast you couldn't have taken a breath in the time it took her to turn around. She reached out wiped away the sweat from my face.

"Hey how are you feeling Peeta?" She asked, her eyes not leaving my face. I close my eyes as I feel the sharp pain in my stomach.

"Hot and it hurts." I said, swallowing slowly.

"It will for a little bit. Mom is taking care of you, and you have a fever but you'll be okay." She said, looking over her shoulder at an older lady I recognized as her mother.

"Where am I? What happened after…." I trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

"The peacekeepers came in and stopped him, he's in custody now but he'll probably he hanged. Nobody knows why he started shooting people." She said, looking down at her hands sadly. I reached for her hand, but unable to really move much I was unable to hold it comfortingly like I wanted.

"Katniss? Is Prim okay?" I asked, knowing she worried about her sister like a mother would. She looked up at me and nodded.

"Don't worry about anything, just concentrate on getting better. Your dad said he'll come by after he closes the bakery." Katniss said, reaching out and pushing the hair out of my eyes. _ I love you Katniss Everdeen. _ I closed my eyes again and drifted off to sleep, feeling something touch my lips softly but I had to have dreamed it.


End file.
